The Visible Woman...November 12, 2003

I noticed a backup didn't get made last night. It was OK since it was from the bookkeeper's machine and she hadn't changed anything. But. Her machine, a rather elderly machine running WIN95, was making a gurgling sound. Seriously, it sounds like there is water running through it. I'm sure it's the fan on the power supply making a noise. Maybe. Or the hard drive?

So. I worry about replacing that machine...which I've already been worrying about for a while since it's old and slow.

But first I must be off to the gym because I've promised to go to water aerobics with Dad. After the class, I shower off the chlorine and do some more time in the gym.

Then it's time to worry other things. When I get home, my dad is there. He's gotten a haircut in the neigborhood and he wants to go to lunch. So...instead of starting to worry about my other tasks, I shower and dress and we go to lunch.

Back at home, I do a couple of tasks for FFP. Scanning and editing pictures and proofing.

I decide to see if the bookkeeper's QuickBooks software will install on another newer machine I have. But it won't. I ponder what to do. I call Intuit support. Finally, I decide to just get the newest version of the software and try to put that on a machine. I decide to look at tile for the remodel on the way. FFP goes with me (in his own car) for that. At Fry's I get the software and look at other stuff. I find an ink cartridge I'll need soon for one of the ink jets. I consider external hard drives and new desktops. I leave with the software and the ink cartridge.

At home, I put the new QuickBooks on the machine, restore some data from the, um, gurgling one. I use some Microsoft Office Upgrade software I bought for a defunct machine to upgrade Works and get Excel working. Now, we will have to see if the bookkeeper can get the thing into a usable state for her. I'll have to move it upstairs and attach it to the network and her monitor/keyboard/mouse and let her give it a try. I always hate to start using a new enviroment and she probably will, too. But I should probably get people off WIN95. Ahem. Of course, this machine I'm giving her is WIN ME which is a travesty. I do have an XP Pro Upgrade I bought and haven't used which I could try. It has just enough memory that it might, just might work. I hate installing software and messing with hardware. I just like using computers to do things.

So I stop and I will wait for the bookkeeper's appearance to worry about this again. (Well...not really...I'm sure I'll be worrying about it off and on for weeks.)

I fold some laundry and pick up some books off the floor that FFP was sorting through looking for one he needed as a reference. As long as I'm trying to put them in order, I check the data base of books and make additions and corrections. There really isn't room for these on the shelf so I box them up. Since the WIN98 machine died the only machine that has Access is the laptop. After I'm done, I transfer the files to another machine for Internet backup. But before I can do that I have to boot to get the connectivity going again for some reason.

It seems that all I do is update virus scans, update software, install stuff, backup stuff.

It is almost nine o'clock before I'm done with the pile of books. Sigh. I decide to update my journal and do some e-mails. Enough worrying about things that really need to be worried about.

Except. Yesterday I got a note from my niece about a hard drive crash of her own and I told her not to worry about the kids' pictures. Because in June I made a CD of all the pictures on her machine and she also never deletes them from the CF cards. I gave the CD to her mother after I downloaded the pictures to my machine. Now I start worrying about backing those up, though, so I go in and label some and rotate them and such, preparing to make a CD of them.

Fortunately, there are enough things to worry about that one smooths over the other.

Jack studies a small thing...he's bigger now "The curve of environmental stimulation from 1921 to 1979 is steep, right straight up." Anne Truit, Daybook: The Journal of an Artist	what to worry about There are many things to do. What should come to the top? I noticed a backup didn't get made last night. It was OK since it was from the bookkeeper's machine and she hadn't changed anything. But. Her machine, a rather elderly machine running WIN95, was making a gurgling sound. Seriously, it sounds like there is water running through it. I'm sure it's the fan on the power supply making a noise. Maybe. Or the hard drive? So. I worry about replacing that machine...which I've already been worrying about for a while since it's old and slow. But first I must be off to the gym because I've promised to go to water aerobics with Dad. After the class, I shower off the chlorine and do some more time in the gym. Then it's time to worry other things. When I get home, my dad is there. He's gotten a haircut in the neigborhood and he wants to go to lunch. So...instead of starting to worry about my other tasks, I shower and dress and we go to lunch. Back at home, I do a couple of tasks for FFP. Scanning and editing pictures and proofing. I decide to see if the bookkeeper's QuickBooks software will install on another newer machine I have. But it won't. I ponder what to do. I call Intuit support. Finally, I decide to just get the newest version of the software and try to put that on a machine. I decide to look at tile for the remodel on the way. FFP goes with me (in his own car) for that. At Fry's I get the software and look at other stuff. I find an ink cartridge I'll need soon for one of the ink jets. I consider external hard drives and new desktops. I leave with the software and the ink cartridge. At home, I put the new QuickBooks on the machine, restore some data from the, um, gurgling one. I use some Microsoft Office Upgrade software I bought for a defunct machine to upgrade Works and get Excel working. Now, we will have to see if the bookkeeper can get the thing into a usable state for her. I'll have to move it upstairs and attach it to the network and her monitor/keyboard/mouse and let her give it a try. I always hate to start using a new enviroment and she probably will, too. But I should probably get people off WIN95. Ahem. Of course, this machine I'm giving her is WIN ME which is a travesty. I do have an XP Pro Upgrade I bought and haven't used which I could try. It has just enough memory that it might, just might work. I hate installing software and messing with hardware. I just like using computers to do things. So I stop and I will wait for the bookkeeper's appearance to worry about this again. (Well...not really...I'm sure I'll be worrying about it off and on for weeks.) I fold some laundry and pick up some books off the floor that FFP was sorting through looking for one he needed as a reference. As long as I'm trying to put them in order, I check the data base of books and make additions and corrections. There really isn't room for these on the shelf so I box them up. Since the WIN98 machine died the only machine that has Access is the laptop. After I'm done, I transfer the files to another machine for Internet backup. But before I can do that I have to boot to get the connectivity going again for some reason. It seems that all I do is update virus scans, update software, install stuff, backup stuff. It is almost nine o'clock before I'm done with the pile of books. Sigh. I decide to update my journal and do some e-mails. Enough worrying about things that really need to be worried about. Except. Yesterday I got a note from my niece about a hard drive crash of her own and I told her not to worry about the kids' pictures. Because in June I made a CD of all the pictures on her machine and she also never deletes them from the CF cards. I gave the CD to her mother after I downloaded the pictures to my machine. Now I start worrying about backing those up, though, so I go in and label some and rotate them and such, preparing to make a CD of them. Fortunately, there are enough things to worry about that one smooths over the other.
JUST TYPING Give attention. To important things. What cries out? To be handled? A machine dead or dying. A project awaiting a decision. Whatever someone mentions. Prioritize? Really just handle the ducks. Popping up in the gallery.
		Food Diary. *breakfast* nothing lunch [34th Street Cafe] half of a Reuben sandwich half of a spinach salad with bacon, red onion, boiled egg and honey mustard dressing *snacks* a Barg's Root Beer (12 ounce) a few chips (but probably too many), some hot tofu dip, some cheese and hot sauce and a bunch of carrots *dinner* some salmon and capers Today I didn't - drink alcohol - eat a whole Reuben sandwich although a half is very, very big
		Time flies.... Software and its maintenance will suck the very life out of your day. Of course, I spent two hours at the gym, too. And two hours looking at tile and aisles of computer stuff.

		Reading. Daybook, The Journal of an Artist by Anne Truitt at the gym and then finished before bed. I also read some newspapers including a Tuesday The New York Times Science Times that wrapped up the most intereting questions facing science. Like "why do we sleep?" That's a good one. Nobody really knows.
		nada
		Exercise one hour water aerobics thirty minutes on recumbent bike abs and stretches thirty minutes on treadmill
	. .	Whenever I'm facing upgrading computers...I feel depressed...I'm lucky if I don't feel a knot in the pit of my stomach.
	It's a Tangled Web we weave...these days of our lives.	One year ago "I get the car pretty full and get as sad as I care to be at about the same time." Two years ago "I answer some e-mail about my New York City trip plans. Gulp. It's just an accident, a random thing....But I am still going to plan this trip. I am.."